Eight Keys to Grace-Based Evangelism

Transcription

By Dr. R. Larry Moyer
© 2011 EvanTell, Inc. — www.evantell.org
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P
Dr. R. Larry Moyer
President & CEO
EvanTell, Inc.
icture two believers in your mind. They both witness to
the lost. In fact, they try to witness to someone almost
every day. They hand out tracts to non-Christians, and
they often turn conversations to spiritual things. But one
evangelizes out of grace and the other out of guilt. What’s the
difference? What distinguishes a person who evangelizes out of
grace from one who evangelizes out of guilt?
The differences between these two perspectives are as glaring as
the difference between daylight and darkness. They are not hard
to notice . . . they are hard to overlook. At least eight key ideas
differentiate a person who evangelizes out of grace from one who
evangelizes out of guilt. Many of them spring forth from the rich,
meaningful passage of Scripture that is Matthew 4:18-22:
And Jesus, walking by the Sea of Galilee, saw two brothers, Simon called
Peter, and Andrew his brother, casting a net into the sea; for they were
fisherman. Then He said to them, “Follow Me, and I will make you fishers
of men.” They immediately left their nets and followed Him. Going on
from there, He saw two other brothers, James the son of Zebedee, and
John his brother, in the boat with Zebedee their father mending their
nets. He called them, and immediately they left the boat and their
father, and followed Him.
How should the truth of this passage influence a believer who
evangelizes out of guilt to become a believer who evangelizes out
of grace?
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We see evangelism as a part
of discipleship, not a part of salvation.
Over the years, evangelism has been plagued with
misconceptions—statements made as though they are biblical,
though they could not be further from biblical truth. One of the
most damaging says, “If you do not evangelize, you are not a
Christian.”
Scripture does not teach anything of the sort. John 6:47 says, “Most
assuredly, I say to you, he who believes in Me has everlasting life.” That
sentence has a period behind it, not a comma. It does not say “He
who believes in Me has everlasting life, as long as he tells someone
else about Me.”
Furthermore, if evangelism was a necessary part of salvation, we
would have to accept that the thief on the cross who believed in
Jesus ultimately went to hell. He didn’t share the Gospel with an
unbeliever after trusting Christ. How could he? Yet, Christ clearly
said to him, “Assuredly, I say to you, today you will be with Me in
Paradise” (Luke 23:43).
Those who evangelize out of guilt miss this vital truth. Instead, they
are often seeking to prove to God that they are saved and to earn
His love. When they evangelize, they feel they are accepted by God.
When they don’t evangelize, they sometimes wonder, “Am I really a
Christian?”
Those who evangelize out of grace understand that we can tell
others about Christ with the utmost security, because even if we
fail, we are eternally His. We are saved by grace—God has given us
favor we have not earned and do not deserve. We are not saved
through “works” such as evangelizing. Romans 4:5 tells us, “But to
him who does not work but believes on Him who justifies the ungodly,
his faith is accounted for righteousness.”
What a relief! Our salvation rests on Christ’s performance on the
cross, not on our performance in evangelism. Nor is evangelism
proof that we are Christians. The proof of our salvation comes
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from trusting Christ alone as our only way to heaven. John 5:24
promises, “Most assuredly, I say to you, he who hears My word and
believes in Him who sent Me has everlasting life, and shall not come
into judgment, but has passed from death into life.”
Once again, evangelism is not part of salvation; it is part of
discipleship. In fact, the first lesson Christ taught His disciples was
about evangelism. In Matthew 4:19, Jesus said, “Follow Me, and I
will make you fishers of men.” A disciple is a learner, someone who
follows after Christ. Jesus calls us to take part in evangelism after
we’ve come to Him, receiving our salvation. As we follow Him, we
learn from Him, becoming His disciples. And we evangelize as we
follow His example.
So to determine if you’re a Christian, don’t ask, “Do I evangelize?”
Instead ask, “Have I trusted Christ?” Once we’ve trusted Christ, we
have the privilege of being His disciples. That’s where evangelism
fits—as a part of discipleship, not as a part of becoming a Christian.
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We see evangelism as a privilege, not a pain.
Believers who evangelize out of guilt often view evangelism as
part of their “to do” lists. Evangelism quickly becomes a source of
pain rather than a source of pleasure. When we evangelize out of
grace we find ourselves walking in the footsteps of a Person—One
who is alive today, tomorrow, and forever. Jesus not only made
our salvation possible, He secured it for eternity. His work on our
behalf lifts evangelism to a whole different level. Christ clearly said,
“Follow Me” (Matthew 4:19, emphasis added). We follow Jesus by
being obedient in evangelism. And in light of the awesomeness of
who He is, everything about following Him should be considered a
privilege . . . especially evangelism.
Peter and Andrew didn’t need a second invitation! When Jesus
called, “They immediately left their nets and followed Him” (Matthew
4:20). They weren’t the only ones captivated by His invitation.
The next two verses read, “Going on from there, He saw two other
brothers, James the son of Zebedee, and John his brother, in the boat
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with Zebedee their father, mending their nets. He called them, and
immediately they left the boat and their father, and followed Him.”
Consider for a moment a person you deeply respect—a person
you hold in a position of great honor. Now imagine if that person
saved your life, whether he or she pushed you out of the way of a
speeding motorist or pulled you from the rapids of a raging river.
Or imagine if a medical doctor saved you from the grip of a deadly
disease. If that person were to invite you to do something, wouldn’t
it be a privilege to be asked?
Those who evangelize out of grace view evangelism as a privilege.
Those who evangelize out of guilt lose sight of the Person who
provided for their salvation. The assignment becomes more
important than the Assigner and duty becomes more important
than the One we follow.
A grace-based approach focuses on two simple words, “Follow Me.”
Instead of asking, “Do I have to tell?” we ask, “How many can I tell?”
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We see evangelism as an opportunity to be part of
some thing permanent, not passing.
Someone once said, “The greatest use of life is to use it for
something that will outlast it.” Through our involvement in
evangelism, our lives count for something that will outlast us.
Go back to Matthew 4:19 where Jesus says, “Follow Me, and I will
make you fishers of men.” Put yourself in the disciples’ sandals. You
are a fisher of fish. In effect, you take something that is physically
alive and “make it dead.” Now consider His invitation to be a fisher
of men. As a fisher of men, you take someone who is spiritually
dead and are used by God to make him or her spiritually alive.
You’ve made a difference that is eternal.
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Examine 1 Thessalonians 2:19-20. Paul said, “For what is our hope, or
joy, or crown of rejoicing? Is it not even you in the presence of our Lord
Jesus Christ at His coming? For you are our glory and joy.” Paul saw
the people he had led to Christ and discipled as an investment in
eternity.
When we evangelize out of grace
“Follow Me, and I will
we are involved in something
make
you fishers of men.”
permanent, not something
Matthew 4:19
temporary. Imagine a contractor
who evangelizes out of grace. His
work is far greater than laying a
sidewalk or building a house. Someone can tear up his sidewalk or
tear down his house. But nobody can “undo” someone he led to
Christ. Consider a dentist who evangelizes out of grace. His life is
about much more than keeping teeth healthy. Decay will
eventually destroy the healthiest teeth. No kind of decay can take
away the salvation of a person he led to Christ. Think about a
hairstylist who evangelizes out of grace. She sees her life‘s purpose
as something far more important than making people attractive.
Wind or rain will ruin the best job she’s ever done. Nothing on earth
or in heaven can change the eternal destiny of someone she’s led
to Christ. Picture a flight attendant who evangelizes out of grace.
She sees her life counting for more than getting people to their
earthly destinations. A tragedy could cause the plane to crash. But
when she is used by God to lead someone to Christ, that person
arrives safely in God’s presence. The list goes on and on. When we
see evangelism from a grace-based perspective, we realize that we
are part of something permanent, not passing.
When we evangelize out of guilt we lose that perspective. Our
focus turns inward, centering on our feelings of guilt rather than
on His kingdom. We become very shortsighted. But when we
evangelize out of grace we gain a tremendously long-range view
of life. After all, our labor involves the people who will populate
heaven.
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We see evangelism as a learning experience.
Jesus Christ did not say, “Follow Me because you are fishers of men.”
He said, “Follow Me, and I will make you fishers of men” (Matthew
4:19, emphasis added).
Christ did not have an easy task. Take a minute to reflect on Peter’s
life. He could be impulsive, self-seeking, and sometimes quite
cowardly. Remember that he was the one who denied knowing
Christ three times. In spite of Peter’s weaknesses, Jesus taught him
everything he needed to know about evangelism. And the first
person he brought to Christ was his own brother.
Often we think that in order to evangelize, we must know how to
answer every question non-Christians could ask, refute any
objection they might raise, or explain any verse in the Bible.
So we feel guilty or inadequate when we are unable to answer
questions or refute objections. How could we ever know enough?
The disciples recognized that Jesus was saying, “With Me you
don’t know have to know anything. Just follow and I’ll teach you
everything you need to know.”
His grace teaches us. Titus 2:11-13 says, “For the grace of God that
brings salvation has appeared to all men, teaching us that, denying
ungodliness and worldly lusts, we should live soberly, righteously,
and godly in the present age, looking for the blessed hope and
glorious appearing of our great God and Savior Jesus Christ”
(emphasis added). With grace, evangelism becomes an
opportunity to learn. God isn’t grading us and comparing our
results to someone else’s. Instead He is teaching us week by week,
experience by experience, and mistake by mistake. Each time
we share Christ with someone, we learn a little bit more about
evangelism. Jesus teaches us out of grace, and we learn through
grace.
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Guilt-based evangelism is rooted in performance. We keep
asking the guilt-laden question, “How well does He think I’ve
done?” Grace-filled evangelism connects discipleship and the
classroom, creating a learning experience with the Master Teacher.
If we fail to take advantage of an opportunity, we ask, “Where and
how did I miss my chance?” Should a key point escape our minds,
we respond, “I’ll remember that next time.” When our presentation
of the gospel doesn’t come across as well as we’d like, we consider,
“How can I improve?” Most importantly, we must always ask, “Lord,
what do You want me to learn from this experience?”
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When we evangelize out of grace we never stop learning, because
He never stops teaching.
We focus on contacts, not conversions.
The question “How many people have you led to Christ?” imparts
a massive load of guilt. When we evangelize out of grace we
don’t count heads as a measure of our ability or obedience. Our
responsibility is contact, not conversion. Again, we return to the
first disciples Jesus called. Upon inviting them to be fishers of men,
how often did He ask, “How many people have you led to Me?” Not
once.
In John 6:44, Jesus said, “No one can come to Me unless the Father
who sent Me draws him.” Our job is to bring Christ to people. God’s
job is to bring people to Christ. When we evangelize out of grace
we need not ask, “How many have I brought to Christ?” Instead we
ask, “How many have I presented Christ to?”
Because our job is contact and God’s job is conversion, we need
to see ourselves as part of a process. Jesus taught His disciples
this powerful lesson in evangelism during His ministry in Samaria.
Christ was in Samaria for two days. He didn’t do any miracles to
prove He was God. Instead, He said to His disciples, “Do you not
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say, ‘There are still four months and then comes the harvest’? Behold,
I say to you, lift up your eyes and look at the fields, for they are already
white for harvest! And he who reaps receives wages, and gathers fruit
for eternal life, that both he who sows and he who reaps may rejoice
together. For in this the saying is true: ‘One sows and another reaps.’
I sent you to reap that for which you have not labored; others have
labored, and you have entered into their labors” (John 4:35-38). Many
commentators feel that the “others” who labored could have been
the Old Testament prophets or John the Baptist. The disciples were
privileged to reap where others had sown.
When we evangelize out of grace we recognize that we are part
of the process God uses to bring people to Christ. Sometimes we
are the ninth of twelve people God is going to use; other times we
are the fifteenth of twenty-five or the eighteenth of thirty. How
exciting it is when we are the twenty-seventh of twenty-seven! So
when we interact with a non-Christian, we need not feel pressure
to bring that person to Christ. That’s God’s responsibility, not
ours. Our desire is to be used by God to bring him or her one step
closer to the cross. Occasionally, we have the privilege of reaping.
However, most of the time we are involved in the process of
sowing. Once more, our responsibility is contact, not conversion. Of
course, we want to see every unbeliever we talk to come to Christ
today; but even when they don’t, we’ve done our part.
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We see that our greatest need is to make the gospel clear.
The power of the gospel is in the message, not the messenger.
Paul taught this truth in Romans 1:16 when he declared, “I am not
ashamed of the gospel of Christ, for it is the power of God to salvation
for everyone who believes.” When Paul went to Corinth, a city filled
with intellectuals and philosophers, he kept the message of the
gospel prominent in his teaching. He said in 1 Corinthians 2:1-2,
“And I, brethren, when I came to you, did not come with excellence
of speech or of wisdom declaring to you the testimony of God. For I
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determined not to know anything among you except Jesus Christ and
Him crucified.” Because the power is in the message and not the
messenger, those who evangelize out of grace constantly seek to
present the gospel clearly.
Ask an unbeliever, “Are we accepted by God on the basis of works—
the good things we’ve done such as helping a neighbor, giving a
friend a ride to work, or providing a meal for a hurting family?
Or are we accepted on the basis of Christ plus works? Or are we
accepted on the basis of Christ alone?” Many who miss the gospel
message will answer, “Christ plus works.”
When we evangelize out of grace we recognize and internalize
the message of grace so that we might share it honestly and
accurately. We are not accepted by God on the basis of Christ plus
something we have done but on the basis of Christ alone. On the
cross Christ did not make a down payment for our sins; He made
the full payment. He declared, “It is finished!” (John 19:30). 1 John
2:2 tells us, “And He Himself is the propitiation for our sins, and not
for ours only but also for the whole world.” The word propitiation
means “satisfaction.” Therefore to be accepted by God, we must be
satisfied with what satisfies God. He was satisfied with His Son’s
death as the only thing that would atone for our sins. And He
accepts us through the work of Christ.
When we evangelize out of grace we are captivated by the
awesome truth that Christ alone saves us. Unless we trust Christ
alone, we have not crossed from
death into life. Our good works are
meaningless. We must be satisfied
We must be satisfied
with what satisfies God. Teaching
with what satisfies God.
this truth clearly and simply is
essential to grace-filled evangelism.
Ephesians 2:8-9 hammers this home. We read,
“For by grace you have been saved through faith, and that not of
yourselves; it is the gift of God, not of works, lest anyone should boast.”
Salvation is not a bargain in which God says, “If you do this for me,
I’ll do this for you.”
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Instead He asks, “May I give you free
the gift of eternal life with Me?”
This simple truth drives us.
We are motivated by grace and enamored with the message. Why
wouldn’t we share something so simple a child can understand it
and so free anyone can have it? Our message surprises unbelievers.
We love to see the expressions on people’s faces, the tears that
trickle down their cheeks when they come to understand that God
is extending them favor they have not earned and do not deserve.
With such a powerful message, we don’t want to speak confusingly
when God speaks so clearly.
Those who evangelize out of guilt lose sight of that message,
focusing more on the messenger. Grace-motivated evangelism
leads us to a message we want to make so clear that no one could
possibly misunderstand.
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We see God as on our team, not on our back.
Jesus Christ was known as a person of grace and truth (John 1:14).
As He took the disciples from being fishers of fish to fishers of
men, His character was revealed. He wasn’t a tyrant giving orders
in a “do this or else” fashion but a teacher providing guidance and
assistance. To put it in workplace terms, He was setting them up for
success, not failure. He was on their team, not on their backs.
Witnessing out of guilt is not fun. We feel God is pleased when
we do well and disappointed when we mess up. But when we
evangelize out of grace, our view of God is very different. We trust
Him to teach us as we go. From beginning to end, we need His
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assistance. He walks with us, providing all the help we need.
God assists us by opening doors. Believers cannot open a door for
the gospel. They can only walk through a door God has already
opened. When we evangelize out of grace we trust that God will
provide opportunities for sharing the gospel. Likewise Paul said,
“Meanwhile praying also for us, that God would open to us a door
for the word, to speak the mystery of Christ, for which I am also in
chains” (Colossians 4:3). When the apostle Paul wrote that passage,
he was a prisoner of the Roman Empire, most likely handcuffed
to a Roman solider twenty-four hours a day. No doubt Paul had
the chance to share Christ in prison. Can you imagine being the
non-Christian Roman solider who was handcuffed to Paul twentyfour hours a day? But even though he was witnessing in spite of
his circumstances, Paul did not want to be limited by the walls of
a prison. He asked the Colossians to pray that God would
open a door for the gospel.
Evangelism is scary, but
God also gives us courage.
Evangelism is scary; sometimes
God gives us the courage.
it can be downright frightening.
It requires boldness. But where
does that boldness come from?
The same One who provided the open door will give
us the boldness to walk through it. Peter, John, and the other
disciples said to God, “Now, Lord, look on their threats, and grant to
Your servants that with all boldness they may speak Your word” (Acts
4:29). Two verses later we are told, “And when they had prayed, the
place where they were assembled together was shaken; and they were
all filled with the Holy Spirit, and they spoke the word of God with
boldness.”
Similarly, Paul asked the Ephesians to pray, “That utterance may
be given to me, that I may open my mouth boldly to make known
the mystery of the gospel, for which I am an ambassador in chains;
that I make speak boldly, as I ought to speak” (Ephesians 6:19-20). In
other words, he asked them to pray that God would give him the
words to say and the boldness to say them. Where did Paul—who
witnessed out of grace—go for assistance? To the One He knew
was on his team, not on his back.
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Even the Great Commission takes on new meaning through the
perspective of grace-based evangelism. Christ said in Matthew
28:18-20, “All authority has been given to Me in heaven and on earth.
Go therefore and make disciples of all nations, baptizing them in the
name of the Father and of the Son and of the Holy Spirit, teaching
them to observe all things that I have commanded you; and lo, I am
with you always, even to the end of the age” (emphasis added). From
the first physical step we take towards an unbeliever to our spiritual
discipleship of a new convert, God directs, assists, and encourages
us. The God of grace is on our team, not on our backs.
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We see evangelism as something God rewards.
All who have trusted Christ will spend eternity in heaven. But
not all will be equally rewarded. Christ connected rewards with
discipleship in Matthew 10:40-42. We read, “He who receives you
receives Me, and he who receives Me receives Him who sent Me.
He who receives a prophet in the name of a prophet shall receive a
prophet’s reward. And he who receives a righteous man in the name of
a righteous man shall receive a righteous man’s reward. And whoever
gives one of these little ones only a cup of cold water in the name of a
disciple, assuredly, I say to you, he shall by no means lose his reward.”
Remember that evangelism is part of discipleship. Therefore,
obedience in evangelism will be rewarded along with obedience
in every other area of the Christian life. As Revelation 22:12 tells us,
“And behold, I am coming quickly, and My reward is with Me, to give to
every one according to his work.”
Should anticipating a reward motivate us to evangelize? Definitely.
As we share the gospel with the lost, we can look forward to
the day when God will say, “Well done, good and faithful servant”
(Matthew 25:23).
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When we evangelize out of guilt we lose sight of our heavenly
reward. “Proving something to God” becomes our motivation
instead of faithfulness. We focus on being accepted by God instead
of being obedient to Him. However, those who evangelize out of
grace dismiss any thoughts of whether or not they are accepted by
Him. We know that God has accepted us through Christ’s death and
resurrection. So we work, looking forward to that day when we will
be rewarded for having held dear to our hearts what was dear to
His—reaching the lost.
Motivated by Grace – His Call!
Evangelizing out of grace is radically different than evangelizing
out of guilt. These differences impact the way we see God,
unbelievers, the gospel, our obedience, and every aspect of the
opportunities before us. When we evangelize out of grace, we
boldly take on each God-given opportunity with a positive
attitude. The sheer privilege of partnering with our heavenly
Father permeates every encounter. Instead of looking at
evangelism and asking, “Do I have to?” the believer who
evangelizes out of grace asks, “When do I get to?” We envision the
day when we will see our God of grace.
This poem captures the excitement that builds in us as we are
motivated to evangelize out of grace:
When I stand in that heavenly kingdom
And saints around me appear,
I hope someone comes up and says,
“You’re the one who invited me here!”
- Adapted from R. Graham Carver, Sr.
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By Dr. R. Larry Moyer
www.evangelism.net
If the insights and encouragement in
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then check out the evangelism knowhow and wisdom of Dr. Larry Moyer
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© 2011 EvanTell, Inc.
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Eight Keys to Grace-Based Evangelism

Transcription

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